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Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Murder Most Unladylike

Chapter book

The first marvellous murder mystery in the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series!

At Deepdean School for Girls, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have set up their own detective agency. But they are struggling to find any real crimes to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. Which they don’t.)

Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. To add to the mystery, when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove one happened in the first place.

Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

The Silver Sword

Chapter book

THE SILVER SWORD by Ian Serraillier is an unforgettable World War II survival story.
Although the silver sword was only a paper knife, it became the symbol of hope and courage which kept the Balicki children and their orphan friend Jan alive through the four years of occupation when they had to fend for themselves. And afterwards it inspired them to keep going on the exhausting and dangerous journey from war-torn Poland to Switzerland, where they hoped to find their parents.
Based on true accounts, this is a moving story of life during and after the Second World War.

Boy in the Tower

Chapter book

When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way.

Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window, he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him.

His mum doesn’t really like looking outside – but it’s going outside that she hates. She prefers to sleep all day inside their tower, where it’s safe.

Except it isn’t any more. Strange plants have started to take over and tower blocks are falling down around them.
Now Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out…

Kay’s Anatomy

Non-fiction

Discover all the weird and wonderful things that go on inside your body with Adam Kay. Do you ever think about your body and how it all works? The human body is extraordinary and fascinating and, well . . . pretty weird. Yours is weird, mine is weird, your maths teacher’s is even weirder.

This book is going to tell you what’s actually going on in there, and answer the really important questions, like:

Are bogeys safe to eat? Look, if your nose is going to all that effort of creating a snack, the least we can do is check out its nutritional value.

And how much of your life will you spend on the toilet? About a year – so bring a good book.

So sit back, relax, put on some rubber gloves, and let a doctor take you on a tour of your insides.

The Hatmakers

Chapter book

Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia’s world, Making – crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients – is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.

When Cordelia’s father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet , are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.

It’s up to Cordelia to find out who, and why . . .

Featuring gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout by Paola Escobar.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Chapter book

In a period of English History that never happened, when Good King James III is on the throne, and the whole country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When orphans Bonnie and Sylvia fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they need all their wits – and the help of Simon the goose-boy – to escape unscathed, for the governess is more cruel and merciless than the wolves that surround the great house of Willoughby Chase.

Filled with brilliantly-drawn Dickensian characters, it would make an excellent choice for strong preteen readers who like an old-fashioned story with a strong plot and good characterisation. This book often appears on lists of best-loved children’s books.

The Worst Witch

Chapter book

Hold on to your broomstick for magical mayhem with Jill Murphy’s much-loved classic The Worst Witch- the original story of life at a magical boarding school.

Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, but she’s making an awful mess of it.

She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. And when she turns Ethel, the teacher’s pet into her worst enemy, chaos ensues…

The Queen’s Nose

Chapter book

Harmony’s uncle sends her on a treasure trail – which disappointingly ends in her finding a 50p piece. But the coin is a magic one, and when you rub the queen’s nose, your wishes will come true!

From the number one author for animal magic comes this wonderful new edition of a much-loved classic.

Varjak Paw

Chapter book

This cat must learn to fight!

Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue kitten. He lives high up in an old house on a hill. He’s never left home, but then his grandfather tells him about the Way – a secret martial art for cats.

‘There are Seven Skills in the way of Jalal,’ whispered the Elder Paw. ‘We know only three of them. Their names are these. Slow-Time. Moving Circles. Shadow-walking.’

Now Varjak must use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs and, strangest of all, the mysterious Vanishings.

With stunning illustrations from acclaimed graphic artist Dave McKean, this much-loved story won the Smarties Prize Gold Award and has become a modern classic.

Charlotte’s Web

Chapter book

A poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.

Wilbur the pig’s life has already been saved by Fern, but when he is sold to her uncle, he realises his life is in even more danger. Enter Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful large grey spider.

Charlotte is determined to keep Wilbur from the chopping block, and comes up with an ingenious way to do just that.

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